by Jennifer Sue

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Lyle Bull, a former Marine JAG officer and now a Captain in the Marine reserves, now had his own law practice in Hickstown, and in fact was the only lawyer in the small town. Quite naturally, he was a devoted fan of the TV series JAG. As a fourth grader, Gabe Bull knew his dad had served in JAG and was now a lawyer, but didn't fully understand what a lawyer did. The characters on JAG were lawyers for the US Navy and Marines so Gabe usually watched the show with his dad in an effort to learn. The last two JAG episodes in April, 2003 snagged the youngster's attention like none had ever done before. These were the set-up shows for a JAG spinoff, NCIS. Even though her presence on the shows was brief, one character in particular seemed to reach out of the screen and grab Gabe Bull, just as she has enthralled countless thousands other fans of the show. Abby Sciuto was a perky, brilliant, computer geek, scientist with a quasi-Goth lifestyle all her own that Gabe Bull found irresistible.

Gabe knew he was different from most children and never quite fit in with his peers. He was inquisitive, intelligent, computer literate, and liked, as his mom often said, being 'quirky'. Gabe Bull immediately identified with Abby Sciuto, her character was a kindred spirit for the self-identity questing youth and she instantly became his role model. When NCIS debuted in September, Gabe recorded every show and almost religiously re-watched Abby's scenes. The free spirited Abby exuded self-confidence and intelligence. She was able to be true to her personality and yet function well in an exacting fast paced scientific environment.

As Halloween approached, the plucky fourth grader had little trouble talking his mother, Faye Bull, into helping him create an Abby tribute costume that was slightly tweaked to fit Gabe’s personality. Instead of being a typical Goth devoted to black and death, he wanted to be a Goth devoted to green, as in life and growth. Being stubborn and wanting to do it right, he refused to get cheap flimsy costume accessories, instead insisting on the real things. Faye agreed because Gabe seldom asked for anything and she felt sure he would be using everything after Halloween. A flowing knee length white lab coat wasn’t too outrageous. She did force a compromise on the studded black leather dog collar and wrist cuffs; she only allowed rounded silver studs, not the spiky kind that Abby sometimes wore. Gabe thought about asking for a red and green plaid mini-skirt because Abby looked super cute when she wore one and although he didn’t understand why, he felt a powerful urge to wear one just like it, but he reluctantly decided that would be pushing things too far. Dark green khaki styled pants with a looping silver chain belt was the acceptable choice since Abby sometimes wore them. Faye Bull reluctantly yielded and let him select a pair of girls’ black leather ankle boots with inch thick soles only after he proved he could walk in them without tripping. While they weren’t overtly feminine, they were unlike anything most boys would wear. For a top they decided upon a dark green long sleeved pullover shirt. Since his hair wasn’t long enough for pigtails ala Abby, or even a ponytail, he decided to go with a dark green beret. The intrepid lad even convinced his mom to get him dark green lipstick and nail polish to complete his Goth Abby-esque scientist effect.

With a bit of assistance from his dad and silver spray paint, they were able to spruce up a toy laptop computer to look like the real thing. The only thing he needed was the skull appliques Abby wore on her outfits. Unlike Abby, he didn’t want a bloody or gross looking skull, or one with cross-bones. With parental approval, Gabe Bull searched the internet for a suitable skull patch to adorn his costume, knowing it had to meet their approval too. When he found the perfect skull, he printed it out and ran to his mother.

Faye Bull was pleasantly surprised. The cut-out embroidered patch was 3 1/4 inches high and 2  ½ inches wide. The skull was a simple keyhole type with a pair of black eyes in the upper rounded portion and four vertical lines in the squared bottom portion representing five teeth. What really made it cute, and surprisingly yes, a skull can be cute, was that it sat atop a stem with two green leaves reaching skyward. The skull was the flower and the entire thing was edged in green. There was no way she could object to Gabe’s selection. Since she knew this was more than a passing fancy, she took advantage of the web-site’s discount and ordered a dozen patches. They arrived just in time so she could sew one on the front of the beret, one in the center of the chest of the shirt, and one on each of the back pockets of the khakis.

Even though Gabe Bull was definitely not part of any of the cliques in school, his costume was a hit with his classmates. The costume was so good and so appropriate for Gabe that Eddie Bull, his older brother, and his buddies didn’t complain about the younger boy accompanying them as their haul at the houses they visited for trick or treating was bigger because the adults loved Gabe’s costume. After Halloween, Gabe Bull continued to wear as much of the costume as he could whenever he could get away with it. Although Lyle Bull and Faye Bull were able to talk him out of wearing the dark green lipstick except on very special occasions, they were unsuccessful in trying to convince him to stop using the dark green nail polish. Even though he was an enlightened Marine, Lyle wasn’t happy that his youngest son was wearing nail polish all the time, but reasoned that since it was Goth dark green it wasn’t overtly sissy. Pink polish would have been verboten. The black ankle boots, dark green khaki plants, dark green t-shirt and dark green beret became Gabe’s normal attire. The dog collar and wrist cuffs went on as soon as he came home from school. Lyle and Faye were both concerned with the Goth aspect of Gabe’s obsession with Abby. Even though they were cute, the applique skulls did freak them out quite a bit. When it became evident that Gabe was going to continue his Abby-esque interests, they became concerned that he was becoming preoccupied by death. Finally they delicately asked him if he knew what a skull meant.

“Of course,” Gabe replied looking at them weirdly. “It’s the bones inside a person’s head after the flesh has decayed from the outside and the brain has rotted from the inside.”

“Gabe,” Faye asked gently. “Don’t you think having skulls sewed on your clothing is strange?”

“No,” Gabe replied bewildered by their questioning. “Why would it be strange?”

Lyle and Faye exchanged perplexed looks before the father tried to explain their concern. “Well, because they’re a part of someone who died.”

“Yeah,” Gabe replied obviously not getting their point.

“We should respect people’s bodies after they die,” Faye said. “Displaying someone’s skull is showing disrespect.”

“I can see that,” Gabe agreed with a smile as he realized what his parents were getting at. “You said when Grandpa Ralph died his soul, the part of us that makes us who we are, left his body and he went to heaven to be with Jesus. So any dead body is just an empty shell. The body is buried so all the soft tissue decays leaving bones and then they decay but it takes a lot longer. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. At the cemetery when Grandpa Ralph was put in the ground, Pastor Beech said "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Don’t you remember, Mom? I wasn’t sure what he meant so you helped me look it up in our NRSV Bible. He was talking about how God made Adam from dust and when we die our bodies decay back into dust.”

“I understand these patches aren’t real skulls,” Gabe added. “I didn’t like most of the skull patches I found on the net, and I don’t like most of the ones Abby uses. That’s why I picked the one I did. We compost the leaves and grass clippings to make fertile soil from their decay. This skull is a flower! I really like that it’s surrounded by green. It’s like new life growing out of the decay of death like Jesus promised us, you know, we’ll have a new everlasting life after we die! That’s why I like these patches so much!”

Lyle Bull and Faye Bull were blown away that their brilliant nine year old had more than connected all the diverse dots. Gabe Bull had synthesized composting yard waste to make fertile soil, his grandpa’s death with the Creation story and Jesus’ death and resurrection and the promise of eternal life. The skull flower patches made perfect sense! They were a more than a bit embarrassed by Gabe’s leaps of logic. One thing was certain, while he liked Abby, his green Goth outlook was temporized by his faith. That went a long way in their letting him continue experimenting with his Abby/Goth lifestyle.

Faye had to buy him extra T-shirts and pants as well as a back-up beret so she could launder the clothes as he wore them daily. Gabe easily adapted to his new identity as an intelligent geeky Goth and seemed to bask in the notoriety. Naturally, some of the macho guys at school thought Gabe was a prime target for teasing. However, the teasing of his classmates quickly eased because instead of getting a rise out of him, he smiled. Some of the older guys at school continued attempt to hassle the mini-Goth but Gabe’s big brother, Eddie Bull, kept things from getting out of hand.

Eddie and Gabe were quite different. Since both parents worked in the first floor law office, they had Eddie help with the outside chores which included taking out the garbage, mowing the small back lawn, raking leaves, and shoveling snow. Gabe helped his mom with the indoor chores. Gabe’s bedroom was neat and orderly at all times while Eddie's bedroom would make a pig blush. Gabe often made supper under mom's watchful eye and this past summer nearly every day he made a simple lunch for himself and Eddie. Unlike most kids, Gabe didn't mind vacuuming and helped with the laundry too. It was only on rare occasions that he had to be reminded to do a chore. Eddie had to be reminded to do each chore, often more than once. Physically the brothers were also different. Gabe was slender and just below average height for his age while Eddie was brawny and a bit over normal height range for his age.

As a big brother, Gabe thought Eddie was an okay guy. Eddie loved sports even more than their dad. Eddie played soccer and T-Ball before he began kindergarten. Football and wrestling were added when he was in first grade. Always on the first team, he played with all his heart and soul. Among Gabe’s first memories as a preschooler were playing quasi-soccer with Eddie and their dad. Their parents said Eddie would spend hours playing with Gabe when he was a toddler, rolling a ball to him so he could roll it back.

Naturally Gabe Bull had been expected to follow Eddie Bull’s manly example. Before he started kindergarten he was signed up for soccer and T-ball. Gabe played better than most kids on the teams and as well as the best players on the teams. The difference was that he couldn't have cared less about sports and freely voiced his opinion. That pissed off the coaches and his teammates as he was easily the best player even though he was just going through the motions. His teammates couldn't outplay him, so they began to bully and tease him. Needless to say he finished his initial seasons and refused to sign up for any other sports. Despite his disdain for organized sports, he and Eddie got along well. Big bro was quite protective of his little bro.

Gabe's attitude towards sports regularly created problems in school. In phys-ed he was always the best guy in his class at every activity, not only within his age group but also among most kids older than him. Once he began developing his Abby-esque persona, it really pissed off the jocks who were jealous of his underutilized natural athletic abilities. Gabe felt great pride that he was a nerdy geeky Goth! It certainly set him apart from his more peer-conscious classmates. Gabe plainly didn't give a hoot about sports or what people thought of him. Professional sports, in his oft voiced opinion, was a sham of overpaid often dishonorable prima-donas. Gabe didn't HATE sports and didn't mind playing for fun or phys-ed; but as far as he was concerned, playing on teams when everyone was intent on winning took all the fun out of it.

Not only did he piss off the macho jocks by being better at sports than they were, he quite frankly told them their addiction to sports was a sign of their stupidity. As if that wasn't enough to earn their ire, he earned straight 'A's, his homework was always done and correct and he always knew the answers when he was called on in class. Being a nerdy geeky Goth, he also had no problems answering other questions if he knew the answer, such as who started a fight, or who pulled what prank. It wasn't that he was a tattle tale or rat fink, not once did he ever voluntarily go to a member of the school staff to squeal. But everyone at school knew he would not tell a lie. It wasn't that he didn't want to occasionally lie, but he'd learned early on he was incapable of doing so. Every time he tried to lie he looked so guilty it was obvious he was not telling the truth so he gave up trying. If he was asked a specific question to which he knew the answer, he gave that answer. By the standards of his peers he was a brown nosing sissy.

Gabe’s popularity amongst the tougher elements at school was quite low, and most of the others were too intimidated by the tougher elements to get too close. Knowing he was different, Gabe didn’t try to make friends since he figured no one would want to be ostracized like he was. During recess he spent his time jogging around the perimeter of the play ground. This not only kept him in tremendous shape, it helped his agility, speed, and stamina. When someone got on his case, he’d shrug his shoulders, smile and say, “What do you expect? I’m a Goth.”
 

*          *          *
 
Over the next two years, Gabe Bull settled into and perfected his Abby-esque Goth persona. Except for a pair of cheap sneakers for phys-ed class, thick soled girls black leather ankle boots became his main footwear, rotating through 3 pairs at a time. The newest pair, highly polished, were for dress occasions. The second pair was for general everyday use. The third and oldest pair was for activities that would mess them up. The same went for his dark green khaki pants, with a dark green khaki shorts for warm weather. The dark green pullover shirts were either short or long sleeves. The applique skull flower appliques were on each shirt, the back pockets of the pants, and on the ever-present dark green berets. Gabe’s nails, both toe and finger, were always rounded to 1/8 inch past the tip of the digit and immaculately manicured and painted dark green. When he could get away with it, he wore the dark green lipstick. He also refused to cut his hair, creating a fringe when it grew long enough, and in the summer after fourth grade, a short low slung male ponytail at the nape of his neck.

It took every bit of Lyle Bull’s will power not to go ballistic about Gabe’s continued obsession with Abby. His Marine training was a dual edged sword as it made him feel repulsed by his son’s sissyish antics and at the same time gave him the discipline to keep his conflicting emotions in check. Gabe’s behavior creeped him out for several reasons, one of which was that like many guys, he found Abby’s Goth scientist character extremely erotic. Of course, he was very careful not to let anyone know. Due to Gabe only being 9 when he adopted Abby as a role model, he knew his son’s interest in the cute girl was not prurient. Looking across the table during meals with his youngest son wearing dark green lipstick, with matching polished nails and the beret was almost too much for the manly father to bear. Yet despite his misgivings, Lyle had to admit that in many ways Abby and Gabe were a good fit. Both were intelligent, both were irrepressible, and both were more than a bit eccentric, but in a good way.

Eddie Bull accepted Gabe’s Abby/Goth schtick without blinking an eye. It was such a natural fit he even encouraged his little brother. It was easier to explain Gabe’s eccentricities to his buddies. It had always been difficult for Eddie to find a good gift for Gabe because their interests were so different. The Christmas after Gabe’s second Halloween as Abby, Eddie searched high and low until he found the perfect gift for his li’l bro, finally finding it on a British e-bay site. On Christmas morning when he opened the gift, Gabe squealed and jumped up and down, then hugged Eddie until Eddie pushed him off. Lyle and Faye laughed to see Gabe’s joy... until Bert the Hippo actually farted when Gabe hugged him.
 

*          *          *
 
Two guys from his sixth grade class stepped out of the bushes in front of Gabe Bull as he made the twelve block walk home from school. Not wanting to fight, he turned to head the other way only to find two more guys from the sixth grade class there. All four were smiling maliciously. If he didn't do something fast he knew he was about to get whooped.

Trying to control his panic Gabe realized to escape he somehow had to distract them. Since they were maliciously smiling at him, he decided to return the favor. Plastering a manic smile on his face, he side stepped to the bushes to shield his back. His bizarre grin confounded the stalkers and he saw a flicker of doubt cross their faces as they hurriedly exchanged wary glances. The guys that had stepped out in front of him appeared more intimidated than the other boys, so he feinted a charge towards the guys behind him, swiftly spun in the other direction and charged between his classmates. They managed to step towards his charge but their momentary hesitation was all he needed. Like a charging linebacker he managed to ram his head between their bodies so that his shoulders firmly nailed each in the gut. The impact caused him to stumble but the guys he'd hit were both doubled over gasping for air and in the process blocked the other two guys from getting directly to him. Before they could scramble around the disabled pair, Gabe regained his balance and sprinted off with his now six inch boy style pony tail bouncing furiously from side to side. Gabe had learned long before to keep his beret discreetly clipped to his hair. They chased for about a hundred yards before giving up as he was steadily increasing his distance from them. All the running he did during recess had it's advantages.

By the time Gabe made it to his home at 232 Main Street home he’d caught his breath but was hurting. Both shoulders were bruised. Heading to the kitchen he took two flexible ice-packs from the freezer. After wrapping them in paper towels, he draped one over each shoulder inside his T-shirt. Instead of heading to his bedroom to do his homework, he grabbed a Coke and sat at the table. That way he could pull the ice-packs and put them back in the freezer when he heard his mom coming up the stair case from the family law offices on the first floor of the row home in the Hickstown business district. His plan worked... almost.

“Good afternoon, Gabe,” his surprised Mom greeted him warmly as she came into the kitchen from the stairs “Why are you doing your homework at the table?”

Ruefully Gabe mused that maybe he wasn’t as smart as he thought he was. He hadn’t thought of a logical reason for doing his homework in the kitchen. “I was thirsty,” he answered indicating the Coke can. “I didn’t have much homework so I thought I’d just sit here to knock it out so I could greet you when you got home.” Okay, so maybe he did go a bit overboard in trying to butter her up, but he knew he was blushing which gave away his hurried fib.

“You’re up to something,” Faye declared using her momdar. The jig was up when he winced as she gave him an affectionate squeeze on one shoulder. “That hurt,” she said as she instantly relaxed her grip but kept her hand lightly on his shoulder. Then she softly put her other hand on his other shoulder. “Do you want to tell me why your shoulders are cold?”

“I’d rather not,” Gabe plaintively answered as his inability to lie once again did him in.

Even though she stood behind him with her hands lightly on his shoulders he could feel she was giving him that steely eyed 'MOM' look.

“Four guys tried to jump me on the way home,” he explained after a deep sigh. “I charged between two of them and got away but each managed to get in a solid hit on one of my shoulders with their stomachs.”

His mom leaned her head over to look in his face. “I thought only sumo wrestlers attacked with their stomachs.”

“It’s some kind of new kind of oriental martial arts,” Gabe answered struggling to suppress a grin. “I think it’s called Karatummy.”

That made his mom chuckle. Still, she was concerned and had a look at his bruises. They were a dark red from the ice-packs but promised to be purple by morning. After making sure he wasn't seriously hurt they set to work making supper.

As they ate supper, Faye had Gabe tell his dad and Eddie what had happened when on the way home from school.

"Who did it? I'll kick their butts," Eddie Bull angrily declared.

"Thanks but no thanks," Gabe Bull said. "It was okay for you to stick up for me when we were in the same school, but since we're in different schools, you could get in big trouble if you beat them up."

"Gabe's right," Lyle Bull, agreed. "Eddie, don't do anything to these guys. Gabe, we need their names to report the incident to the school and police.”

"Dad, that'll just make it worse," Gabe explained. This time he got the 'DAD' and the 'MOM' stare so he quickly gave in.

“It was the same guys that tried to jump me on Monday,” he said instantly realizing his gaff.

Faye Bull became quite upset. “They tried to beat you up on Monday?”

“I guess so,” Gabe glumly replied. “They waited for me and stepped out from behind some trees on Elm Street. When I saw it was them I knew they wanted to beat me so I took off and out ran them.”

“Gabe, you should have told us about that on Monday,” Lyle scolded. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was afraid you’d make me report it to the school and then they’d be out to get me even more,” Gabe answered.

“You’re damn right we would, and now we’ll call the police to report the two attempts too,” Lyle declared. “Who are the boys?”

"Moe Lester and Mike Rotch from my class and Dick Swett and Stu Piddity from the other two sixth grade classes," Gabe meekly confessed knowing it would do no good to attempt to lie.

As soon as they finished eating his dad called the police to ask a patrolman to stop by their house to take a report.

An hour later a policeman arrived. After introductions, they sat in the living room while Gabe repeated the details of the two attempted assaults including the names of the guys responsible. It was at that point the Sargent Marshal Law asked the questions his parents had failed to ask. “Do you have any idea why they’re targeting you?”

“Sure,” Gabe answered. “The third day of school they tripped Freddy Bangs in the school cafeteria. They timed it for when the monitor was sorting out a couple of guys trying to cheat in line. Freddy knocked a tooth loose and split his lip. When they asked if anyone saw what happened, no one said anything. Then Principal Jass came over to me and asked me if I’d seen what happened. Everyone was watching us and the four guys that did it were giving me the EYE. But everyone knows I don’t lie, that’s why the principal specifically asked me, I had no choice but to tell him what had happened. Once I broke the ice, others came forward. The four guys got a five day in and after school detention starting the next day and since Monday was Labor Day, all four school days of that week. That’s why they made the first try on Monday. It was the first school day after their detention ended.”

A synopsis of both incidents and the reason for Gabe being their target was placed in an official police report. Unfortunately since he wasn't actually assaulted, Sargent Marshal Law could only file the reports but did promise to talk to the boys and their families. As he left he suggested that Gabe might look into taking some self-defense lessons.

“Taking a martial art’s class would be a good idea,” Lyle said. “It’d probably do you good to get involved in some type of physical activity.”

“I guess I should,” Gabe conceded as he tried his best to conceal his excitement. “But I pick the school. I don’t want to go anywhere the nasty guys from my school are going. If the bullies find out I’m taking self-defense they'd really pour on the heat. Also, I’ve heard kids talking about trying to take self-defense at some schools where they were paired with tougher kids who took great joy in being free to beat up on kids. Furthermore I want the self-defense class to be well rounded, teaching not only the physical but the mental aspects of self-defense”

As Gabe hoped, his parents agreed to letting him select a school although they reserved the right to make the final choice. While this wasn’t the way he wanted to be able to chose the school, he was going to take advantage of the situation. While his dad and Eddie watched whatever sport was in season on the big screen TV in the rec-room, his mom and he would watch musicals on the TV in the livingroom. He’d idly thought about taking dancing lessons ever since he’d watched ‘West Side Story’ with his mom. The well choreographed dancing fight scenes blew his mind. When his mom got the DVD of Michael Flatley’s ‘Lord of the Dance’, he knew he had to figure out a way to take dance lessons. However, he’d felt his dad would never approve. It was one thing for his dad to accept Gabe not being interested in sports, it was an entire different matter to have him allow Gabe to take dancing lessons. Gabe thought his dad already felt he was not manly enough.

Gabe felt that his being targeted by the bullies was simply a bizarre way for fortune to smile upon him. Without Eddie to keep the rough kids off his back, he’d become a viable target. He knew he needed to take self-defense lessons, and now he’d be able to twist it to his advantage to get to take dance lessons too.

Faye was Lyle’s office manager, the couple went over their morning agenda since she’d be bit late getting downstairs to the office in the morning so she could take Gabe to school. She would talk to the principal about the attempted assaults and let them know they'd filed a police report. While his parents talked, Gabe faked doing a computer search for the martial arts school.

There was no way Gabe was going to tell his parents he’d already found a place that met his requirements and was local. The Metamorphosis School of the Arts just down the street met ALL his requirements. Later, when he showed his mom the website, she promised to call them tomorrow once she got to work.
 

*          *          *
 
Thursday morning Gabe and Faye sat in the Hickstown Elementary School office waiting for the principal. The anxious lad had been allowed to drop off his backpack and tell his teacher he'd be in the office. The kids walking past snickered to see him sitting in the office with his mom. Yet another reason to be hassled.

The bell rang to start school, and a few minutes later Principal Hugh Jass came into the school office. Once they were inside his office, Faye had Gabe relate the two attempted assaults.

“Mr. Jass,” Faye said firmly when Gabe had finished telling him what had happened. “My husband and I are taking this quite seriously. We have filed a police report.”

“I’m truly sorry for the attempted assaults,” Hugh Jass apologized a bit too smugly. “Unfortunately, since the attempted assaults didn’t happen on school property, there isn’t much I can do. However, I will have a talk with the boys.”

“Great,” Gabe sighed. “Between the police talking to them and you talking to them, my life will be sheer hell.”

Faye and Principal Jass just looked at him, obviously surprised by the normally subdued words.

“Oh,” Gabe blushed. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

They both nodded.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“As Gabe said, this all began when YOU asked Gabe about the incident in the cafeteria. You were obviously aware of Gabe’s inability to lie. Your actions in the cafeteria set this entire scenario in motion. We expect there will no be no assaults, attempted or otherwise, on school property,” Faye replied cooly. “Nor any bullying. My husband is a lawyer and is preparing registered letters to the parents of the boys involved notifying them we will pursue every possible legal action if their sons in any way attempt to inflict any further physical or mental harm on Gabe. The Hickstown School District solicitor, Grant Juree, will also be receiving notification that we will hold the school district and staff responsible for Gabe’s well-being.”

“I understand,” Hugh Jass again assured us with an obviously forced nervous smile. “I’ll explain the situation to the staff and have them keep watch on those boys and Gabe. We’ll do absolutely everything possible to keep Gabe safe. But it’s possible the boys may do something we can’t anticipate...”

“Then I strongly suggest you anticipate better,” Faye sharply cut him off. “A man in your position should have exercised better discretion than to question Gabe in public.”

“Of course, Mrs. Bull,” Hugh Jass soothed as beads of perspiration began to form on his forehead. “We’ll see that no harm comes to Gabe.”

“We’ll be holding you to that,” Faye stated as she stood signaling the end of the meeting.

This time Gabe managed to keep his mouth disengaged from his thoughts. It certainly helped that he was stunned by mom’s revelation that his dad was putting everyone on notice that no one hassle him. Having a lawyer for a father was okay. Through it all, Principal Jass was once more living up to his well deserved nickname. It’s not often a man’s name expresses his essence, but Principal Hugh Jass certainly did!

As they left, Principal Jass gave Gabe a hastily written note for his teacher. Gabe thought nothing of it, assuming it was merely an excuse note. Gabe was glad everyone was in class as his mom gave him a hug before she left the school. It was bad enough they’d been seen sitting in the office, getting hugged by your mom in school would earn weeks of hassles.

Everyone looked up from their class work as Gabe entered the classroom. Mike Rotch and Moe Lester glared daggers at him as he gave the note to his teacher before taking his seat. He was surprised when she called Moe Lester and Mike Rotch front and sent them to see the principal. Both gave him dirty looks as they headed out. Now he knew what was in the note.

By the end of the morning recess, everyone knew Gabe’s mom had been with him to see the principal and that Moe Lester, Mike Rotch, Dick Swett, and Stu Piddity had been called to the office for a lecture section. The four guys, with their compatriots, were shooting dirty looks at Gabe as he ran his usual laps around the playground area.

Not having any close friends to hang with, Gabe again spent his recess time running. The constant practice was one of the reasons he was able to outrun everyone. Gabe restrained a smug grin, while he wasn’t too worried about getting jumped again, he wisely didn’t want to rub his new immunity in their faces.
 

*          *          *
 
The ‘confrontation’ Gabe so carefully plotted happened before supper. "I don't care what you say, I don't want to take dancing lessons," Gabe told his parents. "I have enough problems in school without that!"

"Gabe, the school insists all students take dance lessons as it enhances a student's abilities in every class they offer. In order to take the self defense class, you must take a dance class too," Faye explained obviously exasperated.

"No, I'm not doing it," Gabe reasserted. "If the kids at school find out I'm taking any kind of lessons at a place that teaches dance, I'm dead meat!"

"You're the one who picked the Metamorphosis School of the Arts and asked me to enroll you," Faye added.

Gabe was well aware about their dance class requirement but had been playing dumb. He’d planned this confrontation hoping to negotiate a settlement. Having a father who was a lawyer had many advantages. "If I do it, you'll owe me big time," he offered an olive branch after what he felt was enough protestation.

The parents exchanged victorious looks, then Lyle asked, "What would you like?"

Gabe made it seem as if he was in deep thought for a few moments. What he really wanted was his own laptop computer but he knew if he asked for that outright they'd say no. What he planned to ask for was far out enough to be so much worse the computer would seem a fair comprise. "I want a new dirt-bike with at least a 90cc motor, but bigger would be great." It was something he wanted but knew he'd never get.

"No motorcycle," Faye declared firmly.

"But other guys in my class have them," Gabe wheedled.

"Are these the same guys that hassle you in school? I Thought you didn't like them," Faye challenged. "Why would you want to be like them?"

"So they stop hassling me," Gabe replied playing it up as if he was exasperated.

"NO," his mom replied firmly.

Lyle just looked at Gabe sadly thinking his macho-deficient son was starting to turn around. "What else do you want?"

His response surprised Gabe. If it had been his dad’s choice he might have gotten the bike! Gabe filed this for future use. "Well, I'd like my own computer," he sighed heavily. "Then I wouldn't be fighting Eddie over it all the time."

"That would be an improvement," Lyle said with a chuckle.

"I like the idea, but not the cost," Faye, ever the pragmatist, said.

"We can pick up a reconditioned unit," Lyle suggested.

"As long as it works," Gabe said barely controlling his excitement.

"If we do get you a computer, we'll expect you to take self defense and dance lessons," Faye said. "With no arguments or moaning from you and no slacking off in the classes."

"For my own computer, you've got a deal," Gabe happily declared.

"Hey, how come the squirt gets his own computer? If he gets one, I want my own computer too," Eddie declared as he lumbered into the room having just arrived home from JV football practice.

It took all Gabe had not to laugh at him. Eddie was big, strong, coordinated, athletic, determined, and at times, dumb. Gabe was in sixth grade while Eddie was in seventh, but the younger boy helped his big brother with his homework. When Eddie couldn't figure out his Algebra during the first week of school, Gabe read the textbook and had it nailed.

"We'll get Gabe a reconditioned computer," their dad explained. "You'll get the computer you've been sharing."

"I'm older," Eddie declared. "Why can't I get the new one?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Gabe said. "I already know how our old computer works. If you get the new one, I won't have to figure out the new programs."

They could almost see the wheels turning in Eddie's head. "Maybe I'll stick with the one we got," he finally decided. "Gabe likes figuring stuff out. He'll figure out how the new computer works."

"Okay," Faye agreed winking a Gabe. "You'll get the computer you now share and Gabe will get a reconditioned one."

"Kewl," he said as he headed up to his third floor bedroom.

His parents looked at Gabe and smiled. They both knew he had pulled a fast one on Eddie, yet it hadn't been entirely selfish because what he'd said had been the truth. It had taken Gabe almost three months to teach Eddie what he knew about their shared computer and even then most of the features were beyond him. Teaching him a new system would be horrible because he'd want to keep doing things the old way.

“I’d like to ask for one more thing,” Gabe stated after Eddie was safely upstairs. “If it’s possible, can you get me laptop?”

“I don’t see why not,” Lyle said before his mom could say anything.

“If you get a laptop and lose or break it, don’t expect us to replace it,” Faye added firmly while shooting a glare at his quickly chagrined dad.

“I’ll be careful with it,” Gabe assured her. “I promise not to pest you if something happens to it.”

The discussion was over. Faye and Gabe went into the kitchen to finish preparing supper.

That night Gabe went to bed smiling. He’d successfully scammed his parents! While he couldn’t lie, he could act. As long as they didn’t ask the right questions, he could fool them! His dad’s words rang sweetly in his memory. “Gabe, the school insists all students take dance lessons as it enhances a student's abilities in every class they offer. In order to take the self defense class, you must take a dance class too."
 

*          *          *
 
Friday at school was a bit awkward. The venomous glares the four guys shot Gabe told him they must have been visited by the police and gotten the registered letters his dad sent. It was plain to all the students the school staff was keeping a close eye on Gabe. The four bullies and friends were quite impotent in regards to getting back at him and were not going to try anything for quite a while. At the instigation of the four bullies, most of the kids at school ignored Gabe more than normal too. This hurt since he’d thought many had been casual friends and now due to the peer pressure from the brutes they'd abandoned him. His hurt turned to controlled anger as he realized their supposed friendship had been a sham.

Only three kids in his class, Rocky Beech, Freddy Bangs, and Buffy Summers spoke to him. Freddy was the boy who the bullies tripped. The three classmates had never been part of the in-crowd and in fact were downright social outcasts who easily befriended each other. The trio knew they were social outcasts of their class and even the school and really didn’t care. Everyone usually avoided the trio and now the lemmings were studiously avoiding Gabe. At lunch Buffy, Rocky, and Freddy waved Gabe to join them at their table so Gabe gladly joined them flaunting his former so called casual friends. As the four outcasts began to talk, they were mildly surprised to discover that while their level of interest varied they liked or disliked the same things. Gabe found they were somewhat kindred spirits and actually enjoyed their company.
 

*          *          *
 
Unlike many small American towns, businesses in Hickstown managed to emerge from the slow steady decline that befell most towns beginning in the mid 1960's as big national corporations squeezed the independent family businesses out of existence. Part of the reason was because of Hickstown’s location. Twenty miles from the nearest city and eight miles from the nearest four lane highway, Hickstown was definitely outside the modern hectic lifestyle. Being relatively out of the way with a strong rural economy and tax base, even the Hickstown School District managed to avoid the pressure to merge with neighboring school districts. The political turmoil of the sixties didn’t miss Hickstown. Many youths embraced the rock and folk music inspired protests and rebelled against the status quo to leave small town life. What made Hickstown different was that many of those who left returned after becoming disillusioned as the anti-establishment rebellion collapsed.
 
*          *          *
 
When Gabe Bull arrived home after school he and his mother, Faye Bull, walked up Main Street. The Metamorphosis School of Arts was located at 350 Main Street. Although he was excited, he did his best to conceal his glee. The building anchored one end of the reinvigorated three block long Hickstown business district. It was a massive two and a half story brick schoolhouse 120 feet wide and 90 feet deep built in 1925. They crossed the town’s spacious public parking lot that had been created from the old school’s playground and walked into the main entrance. The first floor was six feet above ground level allowing ample room for windows in the basement. After they identified ourselves at the reception desk, a smiling woman in her early thirties emerged from an office.

“Hello Mrs. Bull, Gabe,” she greeted them. “My name is Lynne Swann. I’m the manager and one of the instructors. I’ll be taking you on a tour of the facilities and answer any questions you may have.”

After the tour they were shown a power point presentation explaining all about the Metamorphosis School of the Arts. They taught ballet, tap, jazz ballroom, country, and Irish dancing as well as drawing, painting, sculpting, acting, mime, vocal and instrumental music, yoga, tai chi, martial arts, gymnastics, cheerleading, and physical fitness. The Metamorphosis School of the Arts was unlike any other studio in the entire state and very possibly, the nation. They had something for everyone. Students of all ages were welcomed.

“I’m quite impressed,” Faye said. “But I’m curious about why the school requires dancing lessons to be taken in conjunction with the martial arts?”

“That’s an excellent question,” Lynne smiled. “Let me explain a bit more about our school since it is a major part of the answer to your question. Both dance and martial arts are classical forms, in which the shape of bodies in motion can be meaningful, even spiritual. Both disciplines are really about internal work and internal strength. The whole point of Asian monks learning the yoga-derived exercises that became the foundation of oriental martial arts was to strengthen their ability to meditate and hold the meditation poses. The monks’ emphasis on simple, thoughtful living, rather than prohibitions or hierarchies, meshes well with a holistic world view.”

“Our martial arts is a derivative of Karate and Taekwondo and is notable for extreme simplicity and directness, being strictly utilitarian in nature,” Lynne said. “Classes tend to be rather physically demanding as befits any activity which has the potential to be used in life or death situations. But the martial arts we teach is a defensive art. Students are cautioned never to use the techniques they learn to attack or terrify classmates or others. Any student who does so is subject to instant dismissal. Central to training are the KATA. These exercises teach the student to flow from one technique to the next with correct posture, balance, timing and breathing while executing the techniques using great speed, power, and focus. With incessant practice of KATA, the movements and techniques will become reflexive and instinctive and as such extremely effective.”

“The goal of our martial arts program is to make the individual aware of natural strengths and how to apply them to the greatest advantage,” Lynne explained. “The many powerful and graceful movements will enable persons to defend themselves by using any part of the body, but mostly the brain. A person, therefore, will develop self-confidence because of the power and ability that has been mastered. This self-confidence can be carried to all aspects of life. The mind rules the body, so student must learn to control the mind. Self-respect and parental respect are natural outgrowths of training. The study of martial arts is so beneficial because is involves structure, rules, rituals, a stop-and-think attitude, and absolute obedience. No techniques are taught until the students have learned to stop, listen, and think. Classes are small, so the instructor’s attention can be appropriately focused on each student. The techniques are monitored carefully, emphasizing over and over that these are sports and are not to be used for any aggressive play.

“Dance will define an individual’s style and refine their martial arts technique,” Lynne informed us. “Our students get that extra edge in life including confidence, coordination in movement and music listening skills. Studies show that dance training leads to teens with higher self-esteem. Requiring dance lessons also serves to weed out those super macho types who try to sneak into our martial arts classes.”

“Mrs. Bull, if you or your husband are looking for an up-scale, clean, and relaxing place to workout, we have it,” Lynne added. “Our fitness center doesn't require contracts. You can enjoy peace and quiet while working out in a fitness center that is careful to foster a woman and family friendly atmosphere.”

Faye’s and Gabe’s heads were spinning by the time she completed her spiel, but she had more than explained why they insisted dancing be a part of martial arts. Faye signed Gabe up for a general dance class and a martial arts class. The boy left very happy.

As they walked back across the town parking lot, Faye and Gabe headed next door to the community's favorite store. Locally owned and operated, The Crateful Bread began as a bakery in 1980 when the Prodigal son of Werner and Kathryn Winters, respected local teachers, returned home with a girlfriend and another couple after spending several years wandering the country as hippies. Werner and Kathryn Winters purchased the closed small town bakery for their son an three friends to get them started. Like most small businesses in town, the first floor was for business and the second and third floors for living quarters. Naturally, the four friends lived over the bakery. Initial misgivings by the locals about the four hippy entrepreneurs quickly vanished as the taste and quality of their baked goods was unsurpassed. Over the years their success allowed them to purchase adjoining buildings and expand the bakery into nutritional supplements, herbal medicines and supplements and a natural and organic food store with a butcher, deli and small restaurant. In their first ten years they were able to by the entire block of row houses with first floor businesses. As they expanded the business downstairs, each couple moved into their own upper floor living quarters, then rented out the rest. From their start at 201 Main Street they now stretched to 291 Main Street.. The 10 former businesses were joined into one by tearing out adjoining walls and eventually making the ten previously individual stores into one. The flowing space in the unified store was clean and the atmosphere relaxed and homey. In place of normal Muzak, the tunes played over the PA system were from the late 60's and early 70s featuring groups like the Mommas and Papas, Jefferson Airplane, Frank Zappa, and the owner's obvious favorite group, The Grateful Dead. At least one of the four gracefully aging not quite ex-hippie owners were always on hand. The mother and son left with fresh bread and veggies while humming TRUCKIN'.

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To Be Continued...